Pink Fairies: Resident Reptiles
The Pink Fairies originally rose out of the ashes of The Deviants, who in 1970 fired Mick Farren and hooked up with Pretty Things drummer/vocalist, Twink (S.F. Sorrow era). Farren and various Deviants members had played on Twink’s first solo album during his final days as a member of The Pretty Things. The band would gain a reputation for anarchy, free gigs, agitprop, and drugs, as well as chaotic concerts and a chaotic line-up of band members through the years [often contributing and pinching members to/from Hawkwind, Motorhead, Farren (again)], etc. For a more complete documentation of that, pick up a copy of Keep It Together! Cosmic Boogie With The Deviants & The Pink Fairies by Rich Deakin (forward by Mick Farren).
The Pink Fairies recording career had apparently come to a close by 1973 (save a 1976 single on Stiff Records), but resurfaced with Kill ‘Em and Eat ‘Em (1987) with Larry Wallace (Motorhead) at the helm. There were reunion gigs with various line-ups, but new studio releases wouldn’t come until the late ‘90s with a pair of albums that were basically Twink and Paul Rudolph and some hired hands (Pleasure Island, No Picture) and released on Twink Records.
2016 yielded Naked Radio, a Pink Fairies’ album in name only. Featuring none of the principle members or creative force (Twink, Rudolph, Wallis), fans used such terms as “sham,” “dodgy,” and “farce” to describe the less-than-stellar result.
2018 yields a new Pink Fairies studio album and another new line-up. This time Paul Rudolph is back at the helm of a three piece – the rhythm section made up of ex-Hawkwind bassist (1984-1996) Alan Davey and original Motorhead drummer (although for a very brief time) Lucas Fox. The results this time are worthy of the Pink Fairies moniker, in style, if not in membership.
Resident Reptiles starts off with the one-two punch of the title track followed by “Old Enough To Know Better.” Rudolph may not be a great vocalist, but that has never been a strong part of The Pink Fairies. Rhythmically, much of Resident Reptiles resembles Lemmy-era Hawkwind – all the thunder intact. That adds an element to The Pink Fairies missing in the earliest days where much of the rhythm was chaotic rather than driving. That carries through for most of the album, but things start to run out of steam on the last track, “Apologize.”
Resident Reptiles is a befitting title for this album - nothing new as far as style, but a welcome reminder of the vital link between hard rock and punk. The Pink Fairies circa 2018 are sounding more like alligators than dinosaurs. (B)
Suggested tracks:
No comments:
Post a Comment